Chapter 39: Chapter 39
Hubei Province, Wuhan.
Early morning at the Martial Alliance headquarters was always filled with the rough breathing of martial artists.
“Huff, puff…”
Anyone belonging to headquarters, whether squad member or squad leader, even division heads and hall masters, had to run morning laps every day without exception.
And that, while having their internal energy sealed by themselves for two hours.
When Alliance Leader Bukli Cheon, who took office several years ago, issued such an order, complaints erupted one after another. However, the Alliance Leader pushed forward, and unexpectedly, it did not take very long to see results.
Jang Woo-pyeong, who had been the youngest until recently, chuckled as he ran alongside Song Yi-yeon.
“Whoa, look at you, about to pass out any second?”
It was no exaggeration. Song Yi-yeon’s entire body was drenched in sweat, and he panted as if his breath would give out at any moment. White puffs of vapor burst out roughly through Song Yi-yeon’s lips without pause.
“Huff, how do you seniors run so well?”
“This is experience, kid.”
The other Alliance members, who had already been running laps for the past few years, were merely breathing a little faster.
Jang Woo-pyeong, seemingly amused, turned his head this way and that to observe the youngest members of other combat squads as well.
Even the fellows from prestigious clans and sects looked as if they would collapse out of breath at any moment. Their lightness arts might be superior to Jang Woo-pyeong’s own. However, running with one’s internal energy sealed was a matter of pure physical stamina.
Unlike himself, who had trained for the past several years, it was only natural that such a run was overwhelming for the youngest recruits experiencing it for the first time.
Jang Woo-pyeong turned his head around with a face full of anticipation. It was to find none other than the monster youngest.
Soon, Cheon Woo-jin entered Jang Woo-pyeong’s field of vision.
“What the…”
His expression was utterly serene. Since nearly two hours had already passed, quite a few among the youngest members of other combat squads had dropped out.
Yet Cheon Woo-jin had an entirely placid face, looking just like an old man out for a neighborhood stroll with hands clasped behind his back.
His running stride was constant, his body balance was as peaceful as someone who had just begun running, and most astonishingly, unlike the drenched Song Yi-yeon, he was completely dry and fresh.
“Is he secretly using internal energy?”
Even Jang Woo-pyeong, having said so, knew. That such a thing could never be the case.
Astonishingly, during the morning run every day, the Alliance Leader also oversaw it unless something unusual occurred. Of course, he came out two hours earlier than the other Alliance members, finished his run, and supervised.
With the Alliance Leader watching with hawkish eyes, one could not secretly channel internal energy. Unless one was an expert capable of deceiving the Alliance Leader’s eyes.
‘If you can deceive my eyes, you may do so. Rather, that would be a fine thing, hahaha.’
Those were the words the Alliance Leader always said.
Jang Woo-pyeong looked back and forth between the Alliance Leader and Cheon Woo-jin, then soon shook his head vigorously.
* * *
“Huff, puff…”
Having finished the run and returned to the Black Tortoise Squad, Song Yi-yeon leaned against the wall and dry-heaved several times. His inside was filled with cold air to the point of agony.
Cheon Woo-jin, having approached unnoticed, patted Song Yi-yeon’s back a few times.
“No, how are you so fine, Young Hero? Is it because you grew up in the mountains?”
You know, aren’t there tales like that?
Tales of masters raised deep in the mountains away from the world.
Running up steep rock cliffs every morning, cultivating the mind beneath a waterfall…
However, contrary to Song Yi-yeon’s expectation, Cheon Woo-jin replied nonchalantly.
“I used internal energy.”
Straightening up, Song Yi-yeon looked at Cheon Woo-jin with the most serious expression in the world.
“Cowardly.”
“The Alliance Leader said we could use it if we did not get caught.”
“No, just how did you not get caught?”
Cheon Woo-jin merely shrugged his shoulders.
Song Yi-yeon narrowed his eyes and looked at Cheon Woo-jin, who somehow felt infuriating.
Thinking that he had mastered some martial art specialized in deception.
Around the time the two were sharing trivial banter.
“Good morning, our youngest ones.”
Zhuge Rin approached with a bright smile. Song Yi-yeon somehow felt afraid of that smile. Because books that looked like martial secret manuals were held in Zhuge Rin’s hands.
“Vice Squad Leader, can’t we rest just a little longer?”
At Song Yi-yeon’s earnest plea, Zhuge Rin pointed at Cheon Woo-jin.
“Isn’t your friend perfectly fine?”
“No, didn’t Young Hero Cheon say he secretly used internal energy?”
Zhuge Rin narrowed her eyes and looked at Cheon Woo-jin.
“Is that true?”
However, Cheon Woo-jin merely shook his head as if wondering what he was talking about. At that sight, Song Yi-yeon’s eyes widened as if about to pop out, but he had no way at all to prove this injustice.
Soon giving up, Song Yi-yeon straightened his clothes with a sullen face and spoke.
“Yes, let us begin…”
Zhuge Rin handed two books each to the two of them.
White-Robed Pure Spirit Art, Black Tortoise Iron Leg Art.
“As you can tell from the names, the White-Robed Pure Spirit Art is a common martial art that every Martial Alliance member must learn, and the Black Tortoise Iron Leg Art is an external art created by the first squad leader of our Black Tortoise Squad. They say that once mastered, you obtain a body as hard as the Black Tortoise’s shell.”
“Is there anyone who has mastered it?”
“For the White-Robed Pure Spirit Art, there are many. After all, if all Alliance members are to learn it, it cannot be overly profound.”
Song Yi-yeon nodded. He remembered hearing about the White-Robed Pure Spirit Art even before entering the Alliance. It was said to be based on hand-to-hand combat and comprehensively covered various weapons.
The reason for having them learn such a martial art was simple. Naturally, it was easier for those who learned a shared martial art to coordinate with one another during missions.
“What about the Black Tortoise Iron Leg Art?”
“Anyone who mastered it? There is probably none other than the first squad leader.”
“As expected…”
To obtain a body like the Black Tortoise’s shell merely by mastering it, it was self-evident that it was an external art of an immense caliber.
The first squad leaders of the Martial Alliance were heroes of a troubled age meant to confront the First Heavenly Demon, in other words, the first generation Heavenly Demon.
Naturally, as masters who represented that era, there was no way a martial art imbued with their insights would not be profound.
While Song Yi-yeon and Cheon Woo-jin skimmed through the Black Tortoise Iron Leg Art, Zhuge Rin’s explanation continued.
“Regardless of the order, you learn each up to the third realm, and then master the White-Robed Pure Spirit Art first, as its difficulty is lower. In truth, there are few people in our Black Tortoise Squad who have mastered even the White-Robed Pure Spirit Art, but…”
Song Yi-yeon raised his hand briskly. When Zhuge Rin nodded, Song Yi-yeon’s question followed.
“Is there perhaps a deadline? Something like being expelled from the Martial Alliance if we fail to learn them within that time.”
“Of course there is. The minimum qualification is to achieve the third realm in both. The deadline is half a year. Of course, I have rarely seen anyone get kicked out for failing to do that, so do not worry too much.”
Zhuge Rin was not particularly worried. Not only were both martial arts not that difficult up to the third realm, but Song Yi-yeon was also a recruit who had achieved top-tier marks in this selection exam.
‘Of course, this one goes without saying.’
Cheon Woo-jin merely tilted his head at Zhuge Rin’s gaze. Soon, Zhuge Rin’s explanation continued.
“I will explain the martial arts only once, so both of you remember clearly. If there is anything confusing during training, you can go and ask Jang Woo-pyeong over there.”
At the tip of Zhuge Rin’s outstretched finger was Jang Woo-pyeong, still panting from the aftermath of the run. Though he looked somewhat unreliable, the two youngest simply nodded.
Soon, Zhuge Rin’s explanation regarding the White-Robed Pure Spirit Art and the Black Tortoise Iron Leg Art continued for a while, and after the explanation finished, the two plunged into their respective training.
* * *
The two youngest recruits’ week was peaceful in its own way.
Since the mission to transport the Giant Stone Monster’s corpse with the Black Tortoise Squad and Heavenly Tiger Squad, there had been no notable missions. It was the Martial Alliance’s consideration to give the newly assigned youngest time to learn martial arts.
Of course, the martial arts training of the two youngest was also quite an interesting topic for the seniors. There were even those who placed bets on what kind of achievements the two would produce in a week.
Having thus immersed himself in training while carrying a heap of the seniors’ interest, Song Yi-yeon produced a result no one had anticipated as the end of the week approached.
“I, I did it!”
There existed a large boulder in the Black Tortoise Squad’s dedicated martial arts ground. That boulder had countless scars on it, all of which were traces of the Black Tortoise Squad members’ training.
Song Yi-yeon withdrew the fist he had thrust toward the boulder.
White steam was slowly rising from the boulder, and there was an indentation roughly one inch deep.
He had attained the first realm of the Black Tortoise Iron Leg Art.
“Young Hero! Look at this!”
Song Yi-yeon, utterly thrilled, dragged Cheon Woo-jin by his hem from a little distance away and brought him to the boulder.
He boasted of the fist indentation engraved clearly into the boulder.
Cheon Woo-jin nodded his head.
“Impressive.”
“Hahaha! It is only because I am overshadowed by you, Young Hero, but I am not a bad martial artist.”
If he devoted himself like this, he would likely be able to achieve the third realm in both martial arts without difficulty within the designated half-year period.
Cheon Woo-jin smirked softly.
“You are not merely not bad, you are a good martial artist.”
Cheon Woo-jin genuinely considered it so. In terms of pure talent among the martial artists he had seen since descending from the mountain, Song Yi-yeon was a man who could be counted on one hand.
Of course, Song Yi-yeon himself did not seem to properly realize it.
Around the time the two were conversing.
Cheol Ji-ak, having emerged in comfortable attire from the pavilion used by the Black Tortoise Squad martial artists, approached.
“Since a week has passed as of today, individual missions will probably be assigned to each combat squad’s youngest starting tomorrow. You are aware, right?”
Song Yi-yeon and Cheon Woo-jin nodded simultaneously.
There were exactly three designated stages that the youngest members of the Martial Alliance underwent.
First, they were deployed to joint missions of each combat squad, and second, they were given time to focus on training for a week.
And the last was none other than individual missions.
Teams of one or two were organized, and missions were assigned taking into account each individual’s characteristics.
Of course, since it was a process meant for the youngest, the difficulty itself would not be that high.
“Now then…”
Cheol Ji-ak, looking at the two with a fond expression, walked over to the boulder. There, an indentation in the shape of a fist was engraved an inch deep.
By the relatively slender fingers and modest fist size, he could guess the owner of the mark.
“Song Yi-yeon, have you achieved the first realm already?”
“Heheh.”
Song Yi-yeon chuckled foolishly.
“What about the White-Robed Pure Spirit Art?”
“I have achieved the first realm in that as well.”
A glint of wonder flashed in Cheol Ji-ak’s eyes.
Certainly, it was just that everyone’s eyes were excessively focused on Cheon Woo-jin, but Song Yi-yeon was also more talented than any youngest recruit Cheol Ji-ak had ever seen.
“Usually, achieving the first realm in just one of the two within a week is quite decent, so it seems you trained diligently even before coming to the Martial Alliance, Yi-yeon.”
The Black Tortoise Iron Leg Art was fundamentally a martial art where the quality of internal energy was crucial. In truth, martial arts of the type that circulated qi to protect the body were generally like that.
When qi collided with qi, what was important was how qualitatively superior it was rather than its pure quantity.
Because even the legendary Indestructible Diamond Body Art was a martial art of Shaolin, which was said to handle the purest and deepest internal energy under heaven.
Of course, the greatest virtue of the Pure Yang Boy Art mastered by Song Yi-yeon was precisely the purity of internal energy.
Cheol Ji-ak nodded as if satisfied.
“Unlike the first realm, which is the introductory stage, the difficulty will multiply starting from the second realm, which requires continuous refinement and development. You are doing well right now, but beware of arrogance and keep devoting yourself.”
“Yes, Squad Leader.”
Song Yi-yeon nodded solemnly. Because it was the first instruction he had received from the Squad Leader since joining the Alliance.
Soon, Cheol Ji-ak’s gaze turned toward Cheon Woo-jin.
“Mmh…”
Somehow, he was afraid to ask.
He knew well enough that Cheon Woo-jin’s martial prowess was far beyond common sense.
But hearing it in specific numbers was a different matter.
The dilemma keeping Cheol Ji-ak sleepless these days was precisely: ‘Am I a vessel large enough to handle such a rookie?’
Having finished preparing himself in his own way, Cheol Ji-ak asked cautiously.
“How much has our youngest Cheon learned?”
“I have achieved up to the third realm.”
“…”
Cheol Ji-ak gasped for a moment, yet put on a nonchalant expression as if nothing had happened.
Pretending not to be surprised, pretending to be calm, pretending he had expected it…
Firmly bracing his mind had proven effective.
“Yes, splendid indeed. If you have mastered the White-Robed Pure Spirit Art up to the third realm, you can learn the Black Tortoise Iron Leg Art now. If you need any help, feel free to speak to me at any time.”
Although he spoke calmly, he was inwardly exceedingly astonished.
No matter how much the White-Robed Pure Spirit Art was the Alliance’s foundational martial art, it did not fall short when compared to the deeply rooted foundational arts of prominent sects or great clans.
Considering that the third realm was a boundary that recruits usually took two months or so to reach, breaking through it in a single week was truly an astonishing feat.
However, at Cheon Woo-jin’s following words, Cheol Ji-ak gasped in vain.
“I was talking about the Black Tortoise Iron Leg Art.”
“…Really? I see. Is that so.”
He thought it was the White-Robed Pure Spirit Art, but it turned out to be the Black Tortoise Iron Leg Art, which had a higher level of difficulty.
It had taken exactly three months for Cheol Ji-ak himself to reach the third realm of the Black Tortoise Iron Leg Art. Even among his peers assigned together, that was fairly fast.
Seeing it was self-evident he would fall into deep anguish tonight as well, Cheol Ji-ak thought all sleep was lost and forced himself to nod.
“Right, now you can learn the White-Robed Pure Spirit Art.”
“I have already reached the fourth realm in the White-Robed Pure Spirit Art, so I plan to focus on the Black Tortoise Iron Leg Art for the time being.”
“Right, I see. That was it.”
Lightly patting Cheon Woo-jin’s shoulder, Cheol Ji-ak soon turned around toward the path he had come from.
Cheol Ji-ak’s turned face was paled completely white.
Cheol Ji-ak, while walking, abruptly paused and looked up at the unusually high moon.
‘…Alliance Leader, I believe something is wrong.’
Of course, Cheol Ji-ak’s reaction was only natural.
For he could not have known that Cheon Woo-jin had started at the age of five and completely mastered in a mere fifteen years the enlightenments that Black Elder and White Elder had achieved and accumulated over their entire lifetimes.